A Rude Awakening

Mirio called Sir Nighteye the moment Izuku was abducted, as he was not only a trusted mentor, but one of the masterminds behind the army of heroes. Together, he and Tsukauchi had come up with a strategy based on the information on both heroes and villains. Mirio wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't Sir Nighteye's most stoic response.

"Today is not the day of Midoriya's death."

Mirio was hardly reassured. "Can you tell if we win today?"

Sir Nighteye retained his stoic tone. "Our preparations will be complete by tonight. Do not rush in, or else our plan will be thwarted."

Mirio was tempted to end the call, but he knew to go in alone would be suicide. He clenched his fist and forced himself to listen. All For One had the chance to kill Izuku before, but hadn't. Mirio clung to the hope that All For One would keep his supposed son alive. Though he could find the logic in his statement, he remembered the girl he hadn't rescued – Eri. As soon as he thought of her pleading face and saw her vividly in his minds' eye, he knew he would fail this waiting game.

"Mirio?" Sir Nighteye asked from the other end.

There was a moment of indecisive silence. "I can't wait."

He hung up the phone. By going alone, Mirio could rush through defenses and attacks alike. Mirio rushed out the door even as he jammed his visor into place. While it did little to hide his identity, it was bulletproof, just in case he remained corporal long enough to take a hit, and had a gas mask and communicator installed.

Mirio jumped on his yellow street bike, which he only used in emergencies, and turned the throttle full force. His first battle was through morning traffic, but the small stature of his vehicle allowed him to weave through with minor difficulties.

He arrived at the Villain Tower in record time. Mirio hid his bike in an alley and slid the key in a nearby loose brick, as it would fall through his pocket if he kept it on his person. As soon as he stowed the bike as safely as he cared, he cautiously measured the distance to the front door with his eyes. His body slipped below the ground and walked through the earth until he was level with the first step. He kept going another three meters and finally solidified.

His matter solidified up to his eyes. As soon as he could see, he peered around the spotless front hall, ready for any guards.

He wasn't prepared for Neito Monoma, who greeted the young hero with a slow clap. The seemingly unattached head afforded Neito a serious stare, accompanied with a stern frown.

"Impressive!" Neito said with a lazy smile. "You earned me ten dollars with your speedy reaction." The young man's lazy drawl offered no apology for the supposed kidnapping. "I suppose you want to know where Midoriya is?"

Mirio knew that Neito and Izuku had never gotten along, but he had no idea how a UA graduate could find themselves in the Villain Alliance. His shock lasted for only a moment. Mirio charged forward and swept low. He phased through Neito, who had stiffened and prepared to counter.

Mirio solidified behind Neito and aimed an elbow at the back of his neck.

Shadowy claws reached forward to grab him. Mirio had to abandon his attack to let the blow slip through his torso. Only a moment later, the air filled with crimson tufts. Mirio recognized Hawks' quirk and inwardly cursed. With the feathers, Hawks could tell which part of Mirio would become corporal the instant it happened. Around him, Dark Shadow stretched forth, able to fully sense everything in its vicinity. Against two powerful location-type quirks, he'd have to be incredibly fast and tricky.

Neito turned and grabbed Mirio's arm. The touch was only an instant and not nearly long enough to grab the hero and throw him down, but it was adequate to allow him to copy Mirio's ability. "What a picky quirk," Neito remarked as he experimented. Even as Neito spoke, Mirio became intangible and shied back into the ground. Neito found he was able to strengthen the ability and keep his clothes on. Unlike Mirio, Neito didn't fancy flashing his opponent mid-battle. "We're supposed to escort you to Midoriya. Would you like to come, or will you continue to dance in the entry like a buffoon?" With a lazy nod, he gestured for Hawks and Tsukuyomi to lower their attacks.

Mirio knew better than to trust a word Neito said, but he needed to remain aware of his surroundings. The young hero slid up through the floor and stood in a space well away from the wall, just before the base of the stares. A good look at his opponents showed him the vacant gazes of Hawks and Tsukuyomi. Within an instant, he knew that they were brainwashed. Izuku had mentioned before how Neito and Shinso were close and often trained together. Mirio had seen Izuku's match against Shinso and knew how the quirk activated. After so many years of Izuku's fanboy research tendencies, Mirio had taken to memorizing the quirks and stories of friend and foe alike.

"What a serious face," Neito chuckled. He seemed to finally register the stoic glower and serious eyes through Lemillion's visor. "Fine, I'll show you that he's safe and sound." Neito glanced over his shoulder and called out. "Come on, Midoriya."

Izuku walked out with the same glazed eyes as Tsukuyomi and Hawks.

Mirio looked for any signs of harm or a struggle. He recalled how in Izuku's first year, he'd been able to break through the brainwashing by breaking his own fingers. Did he stare at a copy of his friend, or the real deal? Surely, the real Midoriya wouldn't let himself be caught.

Did he dare gamble?

Mirio fully solidified to get the best look possible.

In an instant, Tsukuyomi and Hawks were upon him. Mirio had expected some sort of gesture. A snap, even a flick of Neito's finger, but there was nothing to warn him. A feather brushed against Mirio's arm and the darkness stole away a good portion of Mirio's light. He began to crouch and prepare for an offensive. Since Midoriya wasn't here, he could always retreat deeper into the Villain Tower. Just before he could, he saw Neito's disposition shift.

Neito had moved and held a dagger to Izuku's throat. "Dodge and your sidekick will die," Neito warned over the commotion. "This is a promise, not a threat."

Mirio wasn't as certain of the situation as he wanted to be. For a moment, he hesitated. There was no way to tell if it was a villain goon, Deku, or some innocent bystander transformed by a quirk. Neito had no bluff in his eye. Even if it is a villain, nobody deserves to be murdered. Mirio forced himself to stand still. Tsukuyomi's shadow claws grabbed the hero's wrists. Mirio felt a prick as Hawks strode forward and experimentally slid a knife on the back of Mirio's hand. Blood welled and dripped along the back of his fist.

"Very good," Neito commented. "Now say something to me. I don't trust you if you're left to your own devices."

Mirio couldn't reach his tracker to make a distress signal, but it didn't matter. The hero army would arrive within eight hours, no matter who was dumb enough to rush off to the Villain Tower in the meantime. "Fine," he said. He felt his mind become instantly rigid and fall under Neito's control.

Neito released the hold he had on Izuku. The young man gasped as he gathered his freedom. He groaned and grabbed both sides of his head. "You said you wouldn't do that!" Izuku looked at the blood on the back of Mirio's hand with a lustful expression. "Togata-kun," he cooed, "I like it when you bleed."

So it was Toga. He was no closer to finding the true Midoriya and had given himself over to the villain's control. Even having a thought of his own was suffocating, as if he were a stranger in his own body and mind.

"Let's go downstairs," Neito directed. Hawks, Tsukuyomi, and Lemillion had no choice but to follow.

Izuku was totally caught within his head. He worked on his empathy quirk, which proved to be effective for not only reading, but adapting moods. As stuck in his head as he was, he remained dangerously unaware of his surroundings.

He knew it had to be near time to awaken and began to pull away, but was stopped by the fire user. "You're ready for the basics of my quirk," Todoroki said, his words spoken as if he were bequeathing Izuku with quite the honor.

Izuku smiled and bowed his head respectfully. "I'd appreciate any pointers you have." He said as humbly as he could. He'd made himself cautious not to seem more grateful to one vestige over the other, as to keep them from entering debates over which of their abilities was the most useful – a thing he'd learned on his first night of training.

"One For All in itself has made you fireproof," he began, "but you can still feel heat. It's a warning not for yourself, but for others."

Izuku couldn't help but look befuddled. Out of curiosity, he held up his palm and created a small flame. He fought his sense of self preservation and swiped his fingers over it. He expected pain, but was alarmed to find no damage had been done. Izuku flicked his digits through the embers once more before he finally held them still.

"Are you done?" Todoroki asked sternly.

Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin. The small flutter of fire extinguished from his grasp. "Y-yeah, sorry," he muttered. He has the Todoroki glare, too! That's scary.

He went through the instruction and learned as much as he could. He thanked the vestiges for their time and faded from the dreamscape.

It was pure luck that Katsuki Bakugo had been reviewing his particular assignment when Sir Nighteye got a call. Tsukauchi, Nezu, and Aizawa sat with All Might's former sidekick, as the four of them were the brains of the Hero Army. Midoriya's death. Do not rush in. These two statements were enough for Katsuki to slam the door open.

"Young Bakugo-" Nezu began.

"Can it, Rat!" He felt no shame to speak so disrespectfully to his old principal. "Hey, Bitch-Face. What do you mean don't rush in? What's this shit about Deku?"

"Bakugo, enough," Aizawa stated firmly. "If you want someone to tell you what's going on, you have to stop and listen." Though his voice never elevated to a yell, his stern tone was enough to quell Katsuki's explosive temper; if only for a moment.

At the very least, it got him to check himself. Katsuki continued in what he believed was a more reasonable level. "Deku is the only one that can beat All For One," you idiots. He had to resist speaking the last two words aloud, though they were clearly implied.

Nezu nodded, perfectly at ease. "I have known of All Might and Izuku Midoriya's relationship since their first year, young Bakugo. We knew that one way or another, the villains would take Izuku, no matter how well we guarded his apartment or even if we put him under house arrest." All the days that Mirio and Izuku had been inside, different incognito heroes had watched their home. "We deemed that nothing we did would stop Izuku's second kidnapping, nor that anything we said would keep Mirio away. They are both in the Villain Tower now."

Tsukauchi saw a vein throb in Katsuki's temple and decided to do his best to explain themselves further. The moment he opened his mouth, Katuski shoved his hand up. "I get it," the agent proclaimed. "If I go now, then someone goes after me, and so on. If we all stagger in like a bunch of rejects, they can pick us off one by one." As much as he hated it, he could see the cold, hard logic of the situation.

Cameras were poised at every angle. Some were in the floors, others were safely nestled in the ceiling. Some zoomed around in drones. La Brava slid her fingers over the controls, making sure to keep her subjects in full view.

All For One watched from the control room, a floor upwards and several layers to the side of the actual arena. To make the show possible, he removed the taboo from Neito, as to allow the viewers to catch the full impact of the battle.

Even as the brawl progressed, La Brava had a tech goon ensure that the security cameras both within and outside of the Villain Tower were ready to record the events of the night. With All For One in their corner and his foresight, she had no doubt that they'd emerge victorious.

Izuku was nearly blinded by the spotlights. He covered his face and blinked several times to help his eyes adjust. As disoriented as he was, he kept enough of his wits about him to use his empathy. Four people. No… six? Izuku looked around to the far more faint persons. Hawks? Tokoyami? The two stood like obedient statues beside the wall.

Lemillion stood in the center of the room, his eyes equally as witless as the two to the side. Izuku recognized Shinso's brainwashing quirk in an instant. Though he had multiple quirks, Izuku didn't like his odds. Not only would he have to fight Hawks, Lemillion, and Tsukuyomi with their known quirks, but Phantom Thief as well; with his plethora of unidentified quirks. Over the years, Izuku had sparsely trained with class B's copycat. Every time Izuku saw him in action, Neito seemed to dramatically improve each time, to the point where his abilities seemed nearly limitless. He could dodge within a hair's breadth of space and had perfect control of quirks within moments of touching someone.

His only saving grace was that Neito could not copy stockpiled abilities, such as One For All.

While his opponents were in full gear, Deku was in his pajamas. He stood, barefoot, the back of his mind registering strange thoughts. If I fight all out, I'm going to wind up naked. He thought with an inward sigh of dismay. There are cameras everywhere, so that means this is supposed to be a snuff film.

Right on cue, All For One's voice spoke plainly over surround sound speakers. "As promised, Neito, here is your examination. You currently have multiple quirks and three puppets. Can you win against All Might's successor?"

Deku felt a rush of hatred surge through him at the voice. No, he warned himself. I have to stay calm. If I charge in blindly, I won't make it out of here alive. Though his instruction had only lasted for a week, Deku knew the basics of each of his quirks. I have to use the empathy to break the hold on them. He focused on the spot near Tsukuyomi and Hawks' feet and created his first inferno in the real world. The funnel of fire cascaded around them, billowing brightly and greatly diminishing Dark Shadow. At the same moment, he focused on Lemillion, as that opponent could not be physically stopped.

Lemillion charged in close to Deku. As they'd done a million times before, the two began to spar. There were no familiar movements, as they both moved about wildly, without any true pattern for their opponent to discern. Deku leapt to the ceiling and tore out loudspeaker, which he threw down at Lemillion. Of course, Lemillion phased to dodge. Using his incredible speed, Deku dropped to the floor below and kicked back up and slightly to the side. The moment Mirio made his eyes tangible to get a read of the situation; Deku focused all his energy into breaking the hold Phantom Thief had over Lemillion.

There was a burst in his mind, like a gale of wind sweeping away clouded thoughts. The moment he was free, Lemillion became completely incorporeal and dropped to the ground. He left his thumb visible for a moment longer, as to give Deku a thumbs up.

Through it all, Deku had maintained the consistency of the fire funnel. Not only was he amazed, but he was grateful for the dream walking that had given him a chance to learn of his potential. One down.

Before he could even catch his breath, Phantom Thief was upon him, his tux covered with thick, expansive muscles. Muscular? Deku lifted his arms upwards, dragging fire with him, and crossed his limbs into an X in front of his torso.

Phantom Thief chuckled at his burnt knuckles. "Clever, Midoriya," he congratulated, "but mine's bigger." Using precisely the same motion of drawing upwards, Phantom Thief charged and built his fire until it was as sapphire blue as Dabi's had been.

In the meantime, Lemillion slipped up into the circle of fire containing Tsukuyomi and Hawks and knocked their heads together. Both hero and sidekick were dazed and quickly regained their wits. Lemillion knew they recalled everything, as he had, so he didn't linger and fill them in. "We're good, Deku! Let them out." Lemillion called.

Even as the inferno faded into nothingness, Deku called a warning. "Stay back!" Even though the inferno was gone, fire still lingered. Deku created a storm large enough to echo with a crack of thunder.

Despite his order, Dark Shadow fell over Neito's head like a hood. Hawks deployed his feathers and began to search their surroundings, as to find any guards, or the criminal mastermind that had full run of the tower.

Lemillion used Tsukuyomi's distraction to land a solid kick to Phantom Thief's gut. "True heroes don't let their comrades stand alone," Lemillion stated, his stoic mood broken by a temporary smile as Phantom Thief seemed to double over in pain.

Only a moment later, Lemillion realized it was laughter that had brought Phantom Thief to his knees.